Spring birds and other fauna

Such a busy time of year shaping up as spring is unfolding. I won't deal with spring wildflowers on this one, but will do so in a future post. For this one, there is lots of fauna, etc., to feature!

A recent trip to St. Clair NWA was fairly productive in seeing things, although the heavy overcast made photography a bit of a challenge.

American Tree Sparrows are still around, but dwindling in numbers. 

Beavers are well established, although not always easy to find and photograph.

Out towards Lake St. Clair, this tree regularly has a few Double-crested Cormorants using it over the course of the day.

A Great Egret or two can be found.

Sandhill Cranes are often in good numbers, sometimes up to about 14, with some even hanging out on the main trail.

It was heavy overcast, as mentioned, so it influenced some of my photo efforts. This was taken from the observation tower, looking eastward.

I try and get to the Mitchell's Bay North trail regularly. Great Egrets are becoming more common, which will likely continue until well into the autumn.

There is lots of shorebird habitat, but most of the time I am only able to find a Greater Yellowlegs, shown next, or a Lesser Yellowlegs.

Midland Painted Turtles are out to enjoy the sunshine, and help out with their egg production phase.

 Heading south, a recent trip to the Erieau Marsh Trail was a worthwhile stop. Right at the beginning of the trail was a Blue-headed Vireo, the first one I had seen this year. Unfortunately it was so busy moving around the branches, or up against the white sky, this is the best photo I managed.

There were several Blue-winged Teal in the sheltered part of the wetland, along with some geese.

I saw a few Chipping Sparrows, just becoming a little more common these days....

...as are Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Of course Rondeau is a favourite destination, and I managed to track down a few species of fauna. Butterflies are becoming more common. This first one is what I would call a Spring Azure, and it fits the description in the fairly recent Butterflies of Ontario book. However there is someone in the Ottawa area who tries to convince people that the only way to tell whether it is this species or one of several others, is to look at it under a microscope, so he lumps them all as Holistic Azures. It's too bad, as that means one has to collect and kill it to identify it! I think I will stick with what the book says.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are becoming quite common...

..as are Mourning Cloaks.

Killdeer have been back for awhile, and I came across this nest a few days ago.

I managed a nice close-up of this House Wren, singing its heart out to attract a mate.

These Green Darners were busy along the trail.

And Brown Creepers are fairly common these days.

If you go to Rondeau these days, you may notice that the spring, prescribed burns have occurred in a couple of places. It will be interesting to watch how the flush of prairie vegetation responds!

 I haven't been out birding quite as regularly or intensively as I used to, but some of the younger more dedicated local birders have come up with some good sightings. What follows are of species that have been recently seen, but I had to dig into my archives to feature them. I might catch up to one or more of these species yet over the next week or so if they stick around, but in the meantime, I will showcase these this way.

Several Marbled Godwits were noted flying by the lake front. This is one I took from my kayak at Mitchell's Bay a few years ago. 

Piping Plovers have historically nested in the area, but due to their overall decline over the decades, are seldom seen other than on migration. One or two have been seen from Erieau looking at the south beach of Rondeau, but only seen via a 'scope. I photographed this one along the south beach several years ago.

Willets are migratory, nesting farther west, as are the Marbled Godwits, but occasionally show up in the area. Several were seen recently along the lake front. I photographed these three at Shrewsbury several years ago. It is a real treat to see any of these three species, and I hope an indication of things to come!

 

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Early January 2026 outings

 New Year's day dawned clear and cold. It was the date for the annual St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count. As usual, my territory started at SCNWA, along the northwest berm that is normally off limits to visitors which I have permission to access. It is very much out in the open, subject to wind. Since the day started off at about -13C and a wind chill making it to about -23C, it was not easy going, especially since I have to hike about 2 km or more, carrying a tripod and 'scope along with binoculars. 

This is what I encountered from a landscape perspective:

...and this was the adjacent St. Luke's Marsh a bit to the north.

 The vast majority of the wetland was frozen, not surprisingly given the recent weather, but as is often the case, there is a small area at the extreme NW part of my route which has open water. And  there are many individuals of waterfowl making use of it, hence the need for the 'scope. The birds were packed in so it was difficult to pick out anything unusual, but there were many hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese with a few Tundra Swans and American Black Ducks there as well.

Some readers will be aware that the NWA was closed to public access for three months while some trail/bridge alterations were made. It re-opened just before the end of December, fortunately for the CBC. Here is the new bridge structure...

...and the view from the bridge looking generally south:

After covering this part of my territory I went elsewhere, and fortunately came across a few more things, such as a few Dark-eyed Juncos coming to a feeder....

...a few Northern Cardinals along a roadway...

....and four Wild Turkeys scattered well out in a field

An Eastern Screech Owl was cooperatively sitting out in plain view.

At another spot, a small amount of corn was present at the roadside, and the birds found it. There were several Horned Larks, which are sometimes hard to get photos of. As it turns out, the American Birding Association has declared the Horned Lark to be its featured Bird of the Year.

A few other winter birds were also making use of the corn availability, including a species that is always fun to see.

Snow Bunting

 

Mourning Dove

Elsewhere, there were always crows to see!

 I 'managed' to get to Rondeau on a couple of occasions a few days later. While birds were not abundant where I hiked, I got a few photos of things. This sub-adult Bald Eagle was surprisingly tolerant along the east South Point Trail on my way out...

...but on my return had decided to move a little farther away, on a white pine branch right at the edge of the forest.

A Fox Sparrow is not common at this time of year, but I got a few photos of this one along the north end of Harrison Trail.

 Northern Cardinals are scattered about....

...as are Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

On another occasion I walked the west side of the SPT. A wind storm had knocked over a dead American Beech tree across the trail. No doubt as American Beech trees continue to be affected by the deadly Beech Leaf Disease, this will become a more regular occurrence. I brought this to the attention of park staff, and was advised the next day that the trail had been cleared.

The view from the very south end of the trail is always intriguing as the shoreline with ice and waves are constantly causing change.

A quick trip to Erieau had a fair variety of water birds to see, but most were too far to attempt a photo. However American Coots are usually fairly close by.

 

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St. Clair National Wildlife Area, one of the highlights of southwestern Ontario

 St. Clair National Wildlife Area (SCNWA) has always been a favourite place of mine to go. It is special in its own right due to the high quality wetlands, and even better it is quite close to home and so accessible!

Many of my previous posts include some of the things I find there along with things from other sites, but this one will focus only on this NWA. Being ~600 acres (~240 ha) in size provides lots of opportunities for wildlife, especially wetland birds. A further benefit is that there are other wetlands immediately north and southwest of it, to improve the overall wetland features for wildlife. 

The hiking trail that crosses the heart of the wetland is invaluable to appreciate what it has to offer. The presence of an observation tower enhances a visit. These first two photos were taken from the tower, and the first one shows the hiking trail leading to the tower.

The second photo gives an idea of the expanse of the marsh, with some open areas scattered throughout, making it ideal for many water birds.

One never knows what to expect, so being constantly on alert for anything flying by is essential. One of the highlights of a recent evening visit was to observe both an adult Bald Eagle and an Osprey, with the eagle harassing the Osprey. I watched them for several minutes, as at one point they were flying almost right overhead. The down side was that it was getting close to 8 p.m. so the light wasn't great and they were against a bland sky, but I rattled off a bunch of shots. Here are some of the more satisfying ones. It was hard to tell, but it appeared that the Osprey had something in its talons, and the eagle was trying to get it to let it go so it could pounce on whatever it had. I didn't see any success of this, and eventually the two birds separated and moved off.

 

 

On another occasion when I was out in the evening, I enjoyed an attractive sunset.

Sometimes one can see things like Sandhill Cranes passing by against the colourful sky.

Sunrise photography is also quite fun and rewarding. These next two were not taken recently, but a few years ago when I had a special interest in capturing sunrise shots from various points in Chatham-Kent.

 Aside from the landscape, er, waterscape photography, the main purpose for many visitors is to see the wonderful diversity of flora and fauna. Here are a few things from mostly recent visits, starting with butterflies.

Black Swallowtail

Clouded Sulphur 

The first two butterflies are to be expected. This next one is a Common Buckeye, and it is anything but common. This was the first one I had seen this season. A bit of a surprise was to see three of them, and they were vying for a spot to land. This one was the successful one, and I saw the same one (based on the wear and tear on the left forewing) in the same place two days later.

Monarchs, of course, were fairly abundant which wasn't surprising due to the plentiful milkweed on which to lay eggs when they weren't feeding on Missouri Ironweed.

Red Admiral

Viceroy

The flowers are more abundant in the later part the season, with lots of goldenrod and sunflower species lining the trail these days. One of the highlight species to see is this next one, the Marsh Tickseed, which is an endangered species, but fairly common along at the waters edge along both sides of the trail.

Another rarity, although not as rare as the previous one, is Missouri Ironweed.

 

Another rarity is Field Thistle, next.

 Not a rarity at all, and actually fairly common, is Evening Primrose.

 

Of course there are quite a few Leopard Frogs hopping along the trail.

 But birds are one of the main reasons people are visiting, and for good reason. The views and diversity are great, with some giving good photo opportunities, and others just views through binoculars as they scoot through the skies. Waterfowl are building in numbers, and once the hunting season starts, they will be increasingly abundant at the NWA as it is a safe haven for them. Here are a few waterbirds that I have recently encountered and photographed.

Great Blue Heron

Less frequently the herons will be up in a tree along the edge.

Great Egret

One of the highlights of a few years ago, when the water in the NWA was lower, was to photograph a large group of Great Egrets at their overnight roost. This photo was taken in late September just before sunrise. I had to use a very slow shutter speed, due to the very early morning light, but the birds remained motionless.

Waterfowl, especially Mallards will be quite abundant in the next few weeks.

Mallard

Okay, not a waterbird in one sense, but Northern Harriers frequently nest in wetlands, and are often hunting for something to feed on.

The first two photos were taken from the tower. And then the bird landed a short ways just off the trail, and allowed me to get this next photo.

Pied-billed Grebes are more often heard than seen.

Sandhill Cranes are often in the area, and will nest in or adjacent to the wetland. When feeding in the shallow water, they can sometimes be almost obscured by the tall wetland vegetation. This was taken from the tower.

 Wood Ducks are a favourite, and are one of the more common duck species present at the moment.

Young female Wood Ducks

 

So many photo opportunities to enjoy at this nationally significant natural area. Enjoy it when you can!

UPDATE: I have been informed that as of Oct 1, 2025, public access to the SCNWA is not available, as there is some upgrading to the trail system/bridge getting underway. Public access is restricted until Jan 1, 2026.

 

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